Aakash Chopra believes Steve Smith’s career would suffer as a result of his lack of mechanical ability in comparison to Virat Kohli.
On Monday, October 16, Sri Lanka set Australia a 210-run goal in a World Cup 2023 match in Lucknow. The five-time winners then lost their first two wickets, including Smith for a duck, in the fourth over, but prevailed by five wickets to begin their championship campaign.
In a video posted to his YouTube account, Chopra reflected on Australia’s chase, pointing out that they lost David Warner and Smith’s wickets cheaply and highlighting the latter’s mechanical shortcoming. He said:
“When Australia came to bat, they didn’t bat that well. David Warner got out and Steve Smith was out for zero. Bowled and leg-before is not ending for Steve Smith, actually he is more often getting out leg-before. It is a problem.”
“I am not saying it is the fall but Steve Smith’s fall can be like falling from a cliff because he is a hand-eye-coordination player. The technical foundation is not as strong as say Virat Kohli’s. When it goes, he suddenly starts looking like an ordinary batter although Steve Smith is not ordinary.”
Aakash Chopra
Chopra noted that Smith had been dismissed leg-before-wicket pretty frequently recently, which was uncommon previously. He stated, “
“However, the ball has been hitting the pads so many times although there was a time when the ball never used to hit his pads. Everyone used to feel that he was moving around and that they should hit his pads but no one was able to do it. So Steve Smith is in woeful form and Warner is not playing that well.”
Aakash Chopra
Warner was given out lbw by Dilshan Madushanka for 11, with the on-field umpire’s judgement maintained on review since the ball was seen just skimming the stumps. The left-arm seamer then caught Smith in front of the wickets, and the Australian run-machine did not even ask for a review.
“The good thing for Australia was that Mitchell Marsh finally got some form” – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra, on the other hand, identified Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis as two of Australia’s batting strengths. He stated:
“The good thing for Australia was that Mitchell Marsh finally got some form. Marnus Labuschagne did score runs but I didn’t feel he was batting convincingly. Josh Inglis played well. He is asking them to play him as he is batting better than Alex Carey. Then Glenn Maxwell came and won them the match with a few big shots.”
Aakash Chopra
Marsh was eliminated after hitting nine fours in his 51-ball 52. Inglis hit 58 runs off 59 deliveries, including five fours and a six.